Reviews 2011
Review by Pete. 2011 10/13
On the surface, Pixeljunk: Monsters is a cute simple tower defense game, but at it’s heart it’s a challenge worthy of your time and effort. You can play the game in single player mode, but the cooperative mode is where all the fun is at. It’s simple math folks, playing the game by yourself is fun, but playing it with a friend is mathematically twice as fun.
Review by Pete. 2011 10/13
First and foremost: 3D Dot Game heroes is a blatant copycat of the original Zelda formula. But 3D Dot Game heroes doesn’t hide the fact that it is indeed a clone, and it’s even pretty obvious from the generic title. In terms of it’s use of the Zelda formula, I would say that 3D Dot Game Heroes is more of a playful homage to Zelda rather than a chance to siphon a cheap buck from buyers. 3D Dot Game Heroes is a robust adventure with very cleaver dialogue, and if you’re a Zelda fan, this game has enough heart to warrant a play through.
Review by Pete. 2011 11/25
Borderlands is a well constructed hybrid of a game mixing first person shooter and role playing elements. It features and encourages up to a 4 player coop through the whole game which can make for some fun times with friends. So, if you’ve got another friend or two or three who are up for an adventure in a post apocalyptic that’ll last around 20 hours, then you’re in luck. If you decide to play it by yourself it’s still pretty fun, but you’re kinda missing the point.
Review by Pete July 29, 2011
When I first heard of Flower, I saw videos of people playing it with huge smiles, and the people playing were using the motion controls with overly exaggerated long arm swings and the people watching were pointing at the screen laughing. They looked like a bunch of filthy hipsters who needed to be punched in the face and I wanted nothing to do with this game. But to really find out why Flower is enjoyable you just have to play it. I now realize that I was wrong about the game, but not about the those people I saw in the videos.
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands -PC-
Review by Pete July 29, 2011
Developer Ubisoft I guess felt like they there was still life in the Prince of Persia universe that they started back in 2003 with The Sands of Time, so here we have The Forgotten Sands. The Forgotten Sands’ gameplay feels quite dated and several of the levels felt like “been there, done that”, so really this game is only for the die hard Prince of Persia fans who felt like the trilogy that started in 2003 should have never ended.
Review by Pete July 29, 2011
The Prince of Persia line of games have been around since 1989, and the franchise has re-invented itself several times over the past 2 decades.In this version of Prince of Persia, it is set with a brand new cast of characters, and in a new world not related to any of the other games. This game features some strong elements of platforming like previous Prince of Persia entries, and this iteration has plenty of fun moments and charm to set it apart.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood -PS3-
Review by Pete July 28,2011
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed 2. There is a lengthy single player campaign with some added multiplayer bonuses. The great story line from Assassin’s Creed 1 & 2 pick right up where it left off at the end of #2. AC: Brotherhood has all the same great features that make this franchise fun, and it adds some little things here and there. If more of the same if what you’re looking for gameplay wise, and you want to follow Desmond’s and Etzio’s story a bit further, then go pick up a copy.
Review by Pete July 28, 2011
Assassin’s Creed 2 builds on both the storyline and gameplay of it’s predecessor in several intuitive and meaningful ways. Anyone who enjoyed the first Assassin’s Creed, or better yet, enjoys any sandbox adventure game in general will be turned on by Assassin’s Creed 2 and you’re life will change instantly.
Review by Andy July 27, 2011
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Zelda franchise, Nintendo globally launched the re-mastered Nintendo 3DS version of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. Now many of you think this is a silly idea: “why would I want to play this on a portable devise when I still have my N64”. I can understand your skepticism, but until you actually see what they have done to this game don’t rule it entirely out. Remakes and ports to other systems have had a long history of screw ups. Just ask pete, most of the ports to XBOX 360 were pretty bad. Not to mention the recent Secret of Mana port to the iPhone was atrocious. But I have to admit, the Chrono Trigger port to the DS was pretty sweet.
Review by Pete July 7, 2011
God of War 3 is a brutally violent and immerse game. It is a magnificent blend of technology and art. Anyone who is familiar with the God of War series needs to pick this game up, especially now that the game has dropped significantly in price. I ripped through God of War in just 3 days because I had a hard time putting it down. What really sets God of War 3 apart from the rest of the games in the series is that God of War 3 looks absolutely amazing! It really takes advantage of the superior hardware of the PS3 to make Kratos’ last adventure spectacularly epic.
Zelda: Twilight Princess -Wii-
Review by Pete June 3, 2011
Zelda games tend to stand the test of time. Their gameplay, graphical style, quirky charm, puzzles, and storyline never get old every time I go back and beat one of them. This time I waited more than 4 years to play the latest console interpretation of Zelda to see if it indeed would pass this test (among other reasons). The first reviews I read on Twilight princess, they said that this was as good as Ocarina of Time. So going in I had my doubts, but after playing through the game I wholeheartedly agree and I would say this is Zelda at its best.
Review by Andy June 2, 2011
Trauma Team by Atlas Co. on the Wii was a very interesting game to play. It’s the latest installment to the Trauma Center series. Steering from its traditional surgeryesk puzzle game play, TT takes a different approach in the ER. As a huge fan of the franchise I initially considered this as one of my top Wii games, however; as time passed reality hit me. This game compared to its predecessors didn’t was really week. What originally may have been a great idea on paper, we poorly executed. The story was very hard to follow and unstructured. The anime comic book style graphics got old and the controls were very clunky. However; the best aspect to this game, and has always been for trauma center games, was the game play. Therefore this game deserves a 3 out of 5
Review by Tim 5/16/11
Halo: Reach is the fifth installment (not including Halo Wars) to the Halo series. Halo is one of the most well known first person’s shooters in the video game world, comparable to counterstrike and the Call to Duty games. Bungie, the creator’s of Halo, has made great games for the past decade and hopefully will continue to amaze us with great games. Halo: Reach is indeed one of those great games. It’s got single and multi-player fun all in one package. It has smooth controls, somewhat polished graphics, good gameplay, new weapons, maps, and heroes for a fun new experience for this new Halo game.
Review by Pete May 10, 2011
For over a decade I have been hearing that Earthbound is one of the best games out there. And after playing the game now as a grown man for the fist time, I can say that it indeed is, and I lament having miss out all these years on a SNES treasure. It is never too late to sit down and play Earthbound, if you haven’t played it yet, go and do it now! Earthbound offers a modern day RPG, with a simple cartoon like art style, with some of the funniest, cleaver dialogue in any game.
Pokémon Soul Silver/ Heart Gold- DS-
Review by Andy April 29, 2011
I know you all have been waiting so long (actually over 1 year) for this review. I’ve finally summed up the courage and motivation to take this beast head on. As you know I posted an update about my progress on Pokémon Soul Silver/ Heart Gold. I told you I had beaten the game but I still had more to do. For this reason I didn’t complete this review and then I got busy with having a baby, working and a finishing up another year in college. Now I’m sitting at work ready to whip this out. So get ready
Professor Layton: Unwound Future -DS-
Review by Pete April 21, 2011
The Professor Layton series of games on the Nintendo DS returns again for the third time in 3 years. And this third adventure keeps all the wonderful charm, intelligent plot, playful character banter, and mixed puzzlery that you expect from this franchise. But being the critic that I am, I didn’t think that the variety of puzzles this time around were as good as in previous installments.
Review by Pete April 21, 2011
Killzone 3 is a blockbuster, big production first person shooter, and it might be the best looking game I’ve played on any system to date. Developer Guerrilla Games really outdid themselves with the visual presentation and attention to detail. It also doesn’t hurt that Killzone 3 is a pretty good shooter to boot.
Review by Brent April 5, 2011
Ah yes, believe your eyes. Brent Husted is writing another review. Ah where to begin… Dead Space 2… hands down on of the best games I have ever played. Let it be said that I thought that about the first installment, and I didn’t even play the actual game very much. Rather, I observed Pete play and focused my efforts on not losing my mind to fear. Before I get into what makes Dead Space 2 so great let me reminisce a little on the first: As implied the game is scary. Not since my younger days of watching my brother play the first Resident Evil has a game scared me this good. It’s not just the usual, hack and slash, jump out at you scare tactics you see in horror films that gets you. The game is clever, frighteningly so. Nothing could be happening yet you’ll be thoroughly freaked out
Review by Tim 4/3/11
Mega Man X was the first installment in the Mega Man series on the Super Nintendo. In my opinion Mega Man X was revolutionary, not only for Mega Man games, but also for Super Nintendo games as well for its time. I mean we’d seen 2D sidescrollers before, but we hadn’t seen it like this before. This game had great graphics, great 16-bit music, crisp controls, a pimp character and a pretty good story line. What more could you ask for in a Super Nintendo game. Mega Man had already won our hearts on the original Nintendo, but this new revamped Mega Man X won our hearts all over again. All in all, Mega Man X is just a great game and I recommend it to all gamers.
Review by Tim 4/2/11
Dr. Mario is a puzzle game very similar to Tetris, but Dr. Mario has its differences. Instead of lining up lines as in Tetris, in Dr. Mario you have to get 4 circles of the same color together. Anyways, you do this to get rid of viruses. Sounds simple enough, but there are different difficulty levels and also different amount of viruses and this can make for a fun, exciting, and challenging game. If you’re interested in puzzle games then this game is the game for you.
Splinter Cell: Conviction -PC-
Review by Pete March 18, 2011
Splinter Cell: Conviction has all the right working parts to potentially be a great game, but each of these parts feel flawed and incomplete which eventually result in a mediocre experience. Splinter Cell: Conviction is by no means a bad game, certainly better than several of the 2/5 games I reviewed in the past year. But because Conviction doesn’t do any one thing particularly well, and there some very needlessly frustrating sections, it comes off as one game you can overlook.
Review by Pete March 18, 2011
Shank is a 2D side scrollin’ action brawler. The fighting system is one of the best and funnest I’ve played on any 2D side scrollin’ game. The fighting system is actually so good that it could even the best out there (for 2D side scrollin’), but unfortunately, and it really is unfortunate, the game ends far far too soon.
Review by Pete March 18 2011
If you finished The original Bioshock and thought “oh man, I wish this game was exactly twice as long” then there’s a good chance Bioshock 2 is right up you alley. It is really difficult to follow up a game as good as the original Bioshock, and in no way is Bioshock 2 a better game than the original. But 3 years after the release of the original, developer Irrational Games studios brings us a sequel and some OK reasons to send you back to Rapture, but once you’re down there, you won’t regret it.
Review by Pete March 16, 2011
I both loved Demon’s Souls and I loved to hate Demon’s Souls. It is one of the most frustratingly difficult games I’ve played in some time. If you’re not up to the challenge, and aren’t willing to die countless times to seemingly cheap and unfair enemies in overwhelming number, then this is not the game for you. But if you are willing to sink some serious time into a very deep and rewarding experience, then I suggest you test you might with Demon’s Souls to find out if you’re a real man.
Donkey Kong Country Returns -WII-
Review by Pete Feb 25, 2011
Donkey Kong Country Returns brings Donkey Kong back to its 2D roots in spectacular fashion. This is some of the best 2D side scrollin’ action to be seen in this generation of consoles. All of the challenging gameplay and fun level designs you remember from the SNES classics return here with a couple of new tricks. This is a must buy for fans of Donkey Kong or any 2D side scroller
God of War: Ghost of Sparta -PSP-
Review by Pete Jan 17, 2011
God of War: Ghost of Sparta is another chapter of our favorite infamous anti-hero Kratos. God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a great follow up to its PSP predecessor God of War: Chains of Olympus. God of War: Ghost of Sparta has the same great gameplay, and comparable graphics to its last gen PS2 counter parts. Which is an amazing accomplishment on a hand held. PSP owners should definitely get this game.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days -DS-
Review by Pete Jan 17, 2011
For years the mere mention of the name Kingdom Hearts brought a smile to my face, and a twinkle to my eye. But after playing through its DS adaptation 358/2 days, I have lost all interest in the entire franchise. Perhaps if a full fledged sequel is made for the PS3, it will spark my interest, but for now I’m jaded and hostile. Words like irrelevant, repetitive, bland, and clunky only begin to describe what the 30+ hour adventure you’ll embark on if you plop this game into your DS system. For new or old fans of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, this game adds nothing of value.
